Assemblies of biological macromolecules (proteins, DNA, RNA) are the functional units of cells and ultimate the whole organism. Visualizing these macromolecules, in different functional states, provides unique information on how they work and how they fail in the diseased state, and therefore can guide us in the design and improvement of therapies. But their extremely small size makes visualization of biological molecules challenging and requires of highly specialized instruments and computational tools.
Technological developments in the field of electron microscopy are now allowing the fast turn around of structural information on critical cellular components. Professor Nogales will talk about what we have learned through the visualization, at atomic resolution, using electron microscopy, of a critical cytoskeletal system that is essential for cell division and a major anticancer target.